Definition

1. Noun:

   • A natural or artificial structure housing bees: A "hive" is a structure, either natural (like a hollow tree) or man-made, where a colony of bees lives and works.
   • A busy, crowded place: "Hive" can metaphorically describe a place full of people and activity.
   • A large, teeming group: It can refer to a multitude of people or things.

2. Verb:

   • To gather into a hive: The action of collecting bees and placing them into a hive.
   • To live or move together in a dense group: To act or gather in a manner similar to bees in a hive.
   • To store or accumulate: To collect and store something, often in large amounts, analogous to bees storing honey.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The beekeeper inspected the wooden hive.
  • The marketplace was a hive of activity in the morning.
  • A hive of reporters surrounded the celebrity.

• Verb:

  • The beekeeper hived the new swarm yesterday.
  • Tourists hived around the famous monument.
  • She has hived a vast collection of rare stamps over the years.

Advanced Usage

• "A hive of industry/activity": A place where people are very busy and productive.

  • The office was a hive of industry as they prepared for the product launch.

• "Hive mind": A collective consciousness or shared intelligence, often used in discussions about social insects or, metaphorically, about groups of people thinking alike.

  • The concept of a hive mind is central to understanding ant colonies.

Variants and Related Words

• Beehive (n): Another term for a hive, especially a man-made one for housing bees. Also used to describe a type of hairstyle.

  • She wore her hair in a classic beehive.

• Hives (n, plural): A skin condition characterized by itchy welts; this is a different word (homograph) with a distinct medical meaning.

  • Eating shellfish gave him an allergic reaction and broke out in hives.

Synonyms

• Swarm (n): A large, moving group of insects, especially bees.
• Colony (n): A community of animals or insects living together.
• Hub (n): A center of activity (for the metaphorical sense).

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Hive off (phrasal verb): To separate or transfer a part of a business, organization, or group to make it independent.
  • The company decided to hive off its struggling electronics division.

Related Idioms

• (To be) as busy as a bee/hive: To be very industrious and active.
  • She's been as busy as a bee preparing for the conference.

Noun

1. a structure that provides a natural habitation for bees; as in a hollow tree
2. a man-made receptacle that houses a swarm of bees
3. a teeming multitude

Verb

1. gather into a hive
   • The beekeeper hived the swarm
2. move together in a hive or as if in a hive
   • The bee swarms are hiving
3. store, like bees
   • bees hive honey and pollen
   • He hived lots of information